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Pre-Production ...; The neglected vital stage of record prod
Topic Started: Nov 3 2008, 07:44 PM (661 Views)
evancol
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Preproduction The neglected vital stage of record production


By Ronan Chris Murphy


Many people make the mistake of confusing production with drum sounds or something you "add" to a recording, when in truth production is inclusive process of making a record. As important as the sound of a record can be, what is far more important is that the song itself and the performance of that song be musically and emotionally engaging. One of the most overlooked and often neglected aspects of production is actually the most vital to this: Preproduction.

Preproduction is the work a producer and the artists do before the actual recording of a record begins. While many high budget albums and some poorly planned low budget albums will work on preproduction in the studio, this does not have to be the case. Preproduction is the single most cost effective, "bang for your buck" stage of producing a record, and critically important to making the best use of time, energy and budget in the studio. I would prefer a short amount of time in the studio to record an album, plus sufficient time for preproduction, than twice that recording time and no preproduction. Quite often people will compliment my production by commenting on the sound of particular instruments, voice or elements of a mix. While I am always flattered that people enjoy elements of my work, I usually consider my most important contributions to a record to be those that I made before we walked into the studio. Even the "sound" of the drums or a singer, usually has more to do with performance and arrangement strategies developed with the artist than a particular recording or mixing approach I may have used.

For most records, the only things necessary for successful preproduction are musical instruments and a room where people can play music together and exchange ideas. Certain modern styles of music, which are dependent on electronics, may require computers and samplers, but these things are really only modern musical instruments. Additional technology or complications serve only to pull the focus of the producer and the musicians away from making music and exchanging ideas. Preproduction should be a simple low cost stage of record production that helps save (or at least betters spend) money and make better records.

The goal of reproduction is to address three fundamental areas: 1) Songwriting and song crafting. 2) Defining the vision of the record. 3) Making sure that the performances serve the vision of the record. These areas will continually be addressed and developed throughout the recording process, but the more work that can be done on these issues before entering the studio, the more effective your time in the studio will be. The studio should be a place to explore nuances, charge emotional energy and capture the magic of a performance and the moment.

When I am producing a record the first things I want to look at are the songs. I am most concerned that the songs we are going to select to record for an album are the best songs we have available, and if they are songs written by the artist that those songs are the best they can be. We look at the songs and make sure that the strongest parts are highlighted and that the low points live up to the rest of the song. There are times when this will involve co-writing with the artist, but more often is only a matter of finding ways to use subtle variations in lyric, phrasing or harmony to strengthen a song. We also look at the length of parts that may work great in a live setting, but might work better on records at a different length. In the best cases it is a matter of not changing a thing.

For those of us mortals that regularly work on records with less than 7 figure budgets, the studio is not an ideal place for songwriting, even when budget is not a major concern, the studio is rarely the best place for writing and crafting songs. There are moments when great songs are written spontaneously in the studio or examples of artists that truly use the studio as a writing tool, but my experience has seen this to be more of an exception than a rule. More often than not, I have seen available technology distract songwriters from their craft. A great song will be a great song recorded into a boom box. The goal is to get all of the songs to that point.


"Once a vision for a record has been established, it is important that the performances of the musicians work to support that vision."

For an artist and a producer to define a vision for an album, there is certainly no fancy studio equipment required. This can take place in a café, in a restaurant over dinner, in the band?s practice space or even in cyberspace via Email or Internet chat, as is often the case for international project. All that is necessary is a way for people to be able to exchange ideas.

By the end of preproduction I want to have established a vision for the record. What is the feel or mood we are going for? What is the sound we are going for? What is the process we will use to record? Who are we making this record for? How long should an album be? What songs will be on the album? How do we integrate the desires of the artist and the record company? All of these questions should be answered before the artist and the producer step into the studio. Will you leave the studio with the same answers to those questions? Probably not, but it is important that there be a vision that these questions define, so there is a common goal for the entire team to work towards. If a team of people enter a studio with a clear goal and all work towards that goal, even if you miss that goal you will probably end up some where interesting and of value. If there is no clear vision for a record this will be reflected in the final product.

Many new artists will begin a project with a producer and engineer whose first involvement is the first day of recording. The producers first active engagement with the music is getting a kick drum sound and then building up the song and often first hearing the vocal and lyric during vocal overdubs. This operating method is common and critically flawed from the beginning. The sound of a kick drum and a lyric may seem unrelated, but in actuality that sound will alter how a listener experiences the vocal. This is true of every part of the recording. The producer may also realize at the end of recording a song that it is not in the best key for the vocalist and it is now to late to change the key. Or perhaps the performance of a particular instrument may actually fight the impact of the most important lyric in the song and can not be changed. With out an understanding of the big picture and a prior relationship with the songs, the producer is not able to fully serve the song and may inadvertently work against it.

Once a vision for a record has been established, it is important that the performances of the musicians work to support that vision. The performance of the musicians is the single most important element in determining the "sound" of a record and how a song will be translated to a listener. If some one compliments me on the drum sound of a record I have produced, I usually express my gratitude for the compliment and confirm that "yes, the drummer did play great." I more accurately say to myself "yes, the drummer really played to serve the song and the vision of the record we were trying to make". The foundation of great sounding instruments and recordings is great sounding performances. If a drummer wants a big rock sound, playing like a jazz musician will not serve that goal and visa versa. If a guitarist wants the vocals to sound great then the guitarist must play parts that support the vocal and don?t compete with it. Every performance effects not only the sound of that musician?s instrument, but of all the other instruments and the entire mix.

The performance requirements of making a great record are often quite different than playing a great live show. Much of the performance work in preproduction is about addressing those differences. Listeners relate to music differently in their car or at home then they do at a concert and to best convey a song on a record you must tailor the performances to serve the particular needs of a record. One of the many reasons to address these issue in advance is that often it requires changes that can feel awkward (emotionally and physically) to a musician who has been playing a part a certain way live for some time. In preproduction, the band can work on these changes "off the clock" so that when they get into the studio the musicians have had a chance to get comfortable with the new parts. They can now focus on the artistic nuances of those parts without having to worry about the physical demands of the parts or emotional reactions to the changes.

The preproduction needs for every project will be different. In some cases it can be a matter of a short period of time to define the vision of a record with an artists whose songs and performances are already in great shape. In other cases it might involve several months of songwriting and performance coaching with the artists. With out proper preproduction it is impossible to truly establish the needs of a record and make the best use of your time in the studio. Preproduction is a 2-way education for the producer and the artists. It is a time to share ideas, to grow as musicians and develop the trust and skills that will be necessary when it is time to bring your best into the studio.

http://www.studioreviews.com/preproduction.htm
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The Pre-Production Payoff

MAKING THE MOST OF STUDIO TIME—IN ADVANCE

By Blair Jackson


In the way olden days — pre-Pet Sounds and Revolver — pre-production was a fairly well-defined process. It involved choosing material for a group or artist, hiring musicians to play (if there wasn't a band) and then rehearsing the tunes until they could be cut live in a studio. And then, my, how things changed. When recording budgets seemed unlimited and the proliferation of studios meant there was always a room that could be locked out for months at a time, many artists started writing their songs in the studio and building tracks from the rhythm section up and working out their ideas through endless experimentation. And there are still artists who work that way — the rise of the sophisticated home studio has allowed that slow evolution of material to continue. But today, the industry is leaner and meaner: Record labels don't like paying for major studio lockouts, and cost-cutting and efficiency are the name of the game. Now, more than ever before, it's essential that artists — and the producers who work with them — keep an eye on the bottom line when they're recording, and that often means devoting more time and energy to pre-production.

Every project is different, of course, and the nature of the music and the agreed-upon production style will dictate what and how much needs to be done in advance. Obviously, musicians who want to cut mostly live in the studio need to have their act together before the red light goes on. In genres that use pre-programmed beats and other computer-generated elements, the pre-production process might involve just a single engineer or producer or songwriter working in isolation and all but completing the track before a singer or rapper comes in. There's no right or wrong way to do it, and the line between pre-production and actual tracking is blurring more each day.

Recently, we spoke with four producers working in different styles of music to find out about how they deal with pre-production issues.

GEORGE DUKE
With a career spanning four decades, keyboardist George Duke has appeared on literally hundreds of albums and produced dozens for a wide variety of R&B and jazz artists, including Marilyn Scott, Billy Cobham, Dianne Reeves, Dexter Gordon, Jeffrey Osborne and Dee Dee Bridgewater, to name just a few. His latest self-produced solo effort, In a Mellow Tone, finds him tackling a pleasing selection of original tunes, as well as classic and obscure standards.

“For my new album,” he says, “the first part of pre-production was finding musicians who understood the concept of what it was supposed to be. I chose a couple of musicians who had never worked together, but I'd worked with them separately — Terri Lyne Carrington on drums, Brian Bromberg on bass — both tremendous players. That was the nucleus of the record, along with Airto [Moreira] and Munyungo [Jackson] playing some percussion. The other thing was to find the songs. The producer's job in the pre-production stage, whether it's me or another artist, is to try to marry a song with the artist. There's usually some give and take there about song choice and the way it could be arranged and how to approach it — simple or some orchestration, real instruments, electronic instruments.

“When I'm producing a singer, I might make synthesizer mock-ups to get the feel of it. I don't get it sounding too involved because I don't want the musicians when they hear it to feel like they're obligated to play what I did on the synthesizer. But it gives a general direction and it allows the singer to actually rehearse with it ahead of time so they get a feel of what it might be. I didn't do that on this album because I didn't feel I needed to. But on the previous one, Duke, I did mock-ups of every song and they were pretty doggone detailed. In that case, I really did want the other musicians to get an idea of what I was looking for, so I sent it to them on an MP3 file and I also sent a chart, so by the time they arrived at the studio, they really knew the song.” In his studio, Duke has Pro Tools HD and a Euphonix console, “but I'm a Logic guy and I use GigaStudio, as well, so between those and my analog gear and [the] virtual instruments I have in my Mac, I'm pretty well pimped out here,” he says with a laugh.

“The other factor involved in pre-production I can't ignore as a producer is budget, and that part is a drag for me,” Duke continues. “These days, with budgets being cut, I have to really keep an eye on costs. People say, ‘But you have your own studio.’ Well, that's true, but this equipment costs money. I have a first engineer [Erik Zobler] and a second engineer to pay. I have a staff that works in the office that makes calls to musicians, keeps the contracts and does the bookkeeping. If I need to rent some outboard gear, if we're recording it or mixing it somewhere else…meals, hotels if people are coming from out of town — all that goes into the fee and all that has to be down in writing for the record company before they agree to let you produce a record.”

KEITH CLARK
Keith Clark (aka Keith Clizark) came to production from a considerably different route. Born in Mississippi and raised in Long Beach, Calif., “I started out DJ'ing in high school for a hip hop radio station,” he says. “Later, I went to Long Beach City College, which has a top-rated music school, and I learned some theory there and I learned some technical things just from being around equipment and messing with it. I made my first record at the age of 17.”

Clark's big break came when he hooked up with fellow Long Beach native Snoop Dogg. He's done production for tracks on a few of Snoop's albums, as well as discs by Tha Eastsidaz, Master P. and others. Like many rap producers, Clark takes the reins early in a production and devotes much time and energy to building tracks layer by layer.

“For me, pre-production starts with the concept of the song and it doesn't really stop until I get to the last element that is to be applied, which is usually the vocals,” he offers. “For pre-production with a rapper, or any style that's using a drum machine — based composition, the sound of the kick and snare is the foundation — that's everything. If it doesn't sound right, it's not going to work. With rap in particular, the better your foundation is, the fewer elements you have to add to your composition. I have a studio at home and I'm using Pro Tools, and I have an [Akai] MPC 4000 [24-bit/96kHz sampler and sequencer] that I swear by. I'm also using GigaStudio with the live orchestra strings — that's a really beautiful thing. And I'm using the [Yamaha] Motif ES [synth] and the Phantom, which is a brand-new module from Roland. It's almost like the JV-2080s and 3080s, but it's the next level. I primarily use that for acoustic sounds and string sounds.

“So I'm working with all of that and I'll build the sounds of the beat, and then add as much ear candy as I need; I might have more than 40 tracks goin' down,” he continues. “One thing I do that not many producers do anymore is put the kick and snare in stereo — it fattens up the sound a lot. Once I've got the track pretty much where I want it, I can take it to a bigger studio — like Larrabee [Los Angeles] — and prepare for vocals. I'll also record live strings occasionally; I have a violin and cello player I work with. But even after the vocals get on it, you might hear something musically that will tie a vocal in better, and I'll sometimes do that back in my studio. So, really, ‘pre-production’ doesn't stop until it's time to mix.”

Clark prides himself on coming up with original beats in pre-production and indeed he's been so successful in that area that his work is represented on a pair of top-selling beat sample libraries from Big Fish Audio called Platinum Essentials. “I've owned every drum machine there is and I've kept those sounds,” he says. “But a lot of my signature beats have started with a live drummer. He'll come in with a drum pad, and I'll sample it and tweak it and layer it. I get a kick out of it when I hear one of my beats on another producer's record,” he says with a chuckle.

Clark says that pre-production can take anywhere from a couple of days to a week or more, depending on the track. “So far, I've been fortunate in that most of the tracks I've done don't get changed much later on,” he says. “I just try to think it all the way through and put on whatever needs to be there; if anything, they might want to take a sound out. That's fine. [Laughs] “I'm cool with that. Just use the song!”

JIM JONSIN
Miami-based producer and mixer Jim Jonsin also started as a DJ, then got into production, “But I couldn't really pay my bills early on, so I started engineering and did that for a number of years and learned everything about how to make my sound right — from the console to Pro Tools to outboard gear to MIDI,” Jonsin says. “I can do it all and that's been important because if I'm trying to get a song onto an album, I want it to sound as good as I can make it. When you find producers who don't understand [gear and technical things], they might have great ideas, but sometimes their sound isn't really there and their demos are pretty rough. Those people don't have a chance in hell with their demo. When they play his track against my track, it's like a Casio to a Motif.”

Jonsin's managed to get in a lot of doors since he broke into the biz in the late '80s. He's produced tracks for Trick Daddy, Twista, Pretty Ricky, Diddy, Ruben Studdard and Jamie Foxx, and mixed for many other artists. On the afternoon we spoke, he was mixing a track for Buckcherry and finishing a track for Trick Daddy.

“I don't have any rules about what I'll do in pre-production,” Jonsin says. “I'll do everything from taking drum sounds and EQ'ing them — changing them — to laying keyboards in to get a base. Or maybe it's a record that needs guitar, so we'll do guitars from the keyboards until we can get a guitar player in; or a string section — I'll put the strings down from the keyboard. For example, I did a Trick Daddy record with strings from the keyboard, but tomorrow night in Miami, I have these guys coming in — the Black Violins — to replay that part. I love the feel of live instruments.

“In general, the pre-production would be me programming from say, a Yamaha Motif or an MPC 2500, but then bringing it into the studio when the record is pretty much there and adding the live elements to it. During pre-production, we'll also do a full mix. That doesn't mean you won't do a bigger mix later when you have everything, but I treat the pre-production mix seriously, too, because sometimes we're trying to get in the door — you're trying to [sell] the track and you want the person hearing it to understand what it can really be.

“These demos we do — you could really release a lot of them as records. And some people do pretty much release their demos.” Does Jonsin become so attached to a sound in the demo process that he chooses not to replace it later as intended? “Once in a while,” he replies. “Sometimes, the string sound on the keyboard is better than what you'd get out of just a couple of players because you can make it so lush that you'd need a large section to reproduce it and you might not have the time or the budget to get that. The Yamaha Motif has a real lush string section that sounds great. But guitars, never; bass, never; horns, sometimes I keep those [electronic versions]. Still, I always try to stay open.”

TIM PALMER
We close out our informal survey with a rocker: Working both in his native England and in the U.S., Tim Palmer has produced scads of great rock bands in a wide variety of styles, including Tears for Fears, Robert Plant, Gene Loves Jezebel, the Mission UK, Tin Machine, the Mighty Lemon Drops, H.I.M., Switchfoot and Ozzy Osbourne. He's also done top-drawer mix work for the likes of U2, Faith Hill, Psychedelic Furs, The Cure and many others.

“What you need to achieve in pre-production is unique to every project,” he says from his home in L.A. “A rock band may wish to capture a live, organic feel, in which case, you need to perfect the arrangements and make sure everyone knows their parts. An electronic band may need to sort out any loops or keyboard sounds before entering the studio to save valuable dollars. When a musician is desperately trying to remember an arrangement, he is not likely to play to his best ability. If pre-production goes well and you get a good performance, then you are less likely to have to use any technology to fix it later.

“One thing that stands true for any pre-production is that it is a great time to get to know the band,” he continues. “It's a great opportunity to make them feel relaxed and find out some information on what methods have worked, or not worked, for them before. It's also the perfect time to figure out how they think and what they are looking for. Pre-production and the arrangement of a song are such an important part of the bigger picture. It's better to get the song to feel right and be in the correct order than to spend too much time on mic choices for a hi-hat.”

However, Palmer also notes that “the line between pre-production and regular production has become increasingly blurred because of technology,” he says. “It's true that sometimes band demos contain great sounds and performances, and when I hear something that is good I am happy because I will use it on the final master. The word ‘demo’ should be struck out of our vocabulary. The demo is dead. The reason for this is simple: The quality that can be achieved on a laptop or home studio is often better now than the best we could do in a major studio in years gone by. So, if something has that magic spark, then we can keep it and use it. I always say to bands, ‘Take the extra 15 minutes and make sure what you are recording is decent, as we may eventually use it.’ Always record everything and keep it.”

Palmer says that the high quality of Pro Tools and other hard disk recording systems has also changed the playing field. Now, pre-production rehearsals and writing sessions can be recorded and potentially used later as parts of a master take. “It's obviously not essential, but it's fair to say that today's producer does need a good knowledge of Pro Tools and plug-ins,” he says. “It's good to keep up if you can, because if you don't, the bands can be faster than you are, as I've found on this recent Switchfoot album. Bands that have grown up with Pro Tools are so fast. It's a weird feeling to have a band breathing down your neck and to know that they could do what you're doing faster! Switchfoot has taught me a lot, and in return, I've tried to encourage them not to rely as much on the technology. I think this new album sounds better for being a little more human and quirky.

“Then, on [Osbourne's] Down to Earth album, Ozzy was not too keen on hanging around a rehearsal room for hours on end, so I rehearsed with the band and recorded it all in my Pro Tools rig that I set up in the rehearsal room. This was very useful, as we could listen back and try simple overdub ideas before reaching the studio. When Ozzy would come in, I could play back the arrangements to him and he could try vocal ideas without having to deal with the huge volume, and at the same time, we could be fast, too.”



http://mixonline.com/recording/applications/audio_preproduction_payoff/
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Preproduction Preparation and Planning


Preparation and planning are vital to any music production. The good people at Pony Music (Victoria, Australia) have put together fundamental but vitally important tips guide that could make the world of difference to the final product.


These tips are for bands and musicians who are getting ready to go into the recording studio to record their music.
PRE-PRODUCTION before entering the studio ensures smooth project sessions, saving you time, money, and results in better recordings. Pre-production involves working out all musical and vocal parts to each song prior to tracking (know your solos and backing vocals!).
Pre-production suggestions:

1. Understand your goals for the recording. What is the recording for?
- Personal Enjoyment
- Demo for Promoting, Booking Live Gigs/Clubs
- Demo for Shopping Label Interest.
- CD Single for Radio Play
- Album Project for Release etc
Knowing exactly what you want to achieve during your time in the studio will ultimately reflect on how long you spend on certain parts of the recording process, a demo will obviously take less time than an album release of the same amount of songs. Having a vision of the final outcome with your budget in mind will give the engineer a clear indication of what they have to do to get you the result you envision.

2. Record your songs at rehearsal. Even a simple cassette recording on a boom box may reveal weaker parts of a song in need of improvement. Record and review all your songs. Practice the songs over & over until everyone can play their parts backwards in their sleep!

3. Rehearse more songs than you plan on recording. It is often hard to know which songs will sound strong on the final mix. (If you plan to have a four song EP, prepare six songs just in case). Record the songs in the order of importance.

4. Record your best songs. Record songs that are fun to play and consider a variety of songs.

5. Choose your method of recording: Recording live in the studio: Some bands prefer to track live in the studio and this helps capture the interplay of musicianship better, but makes for longer set up time and many takes of each song to get a great performance from everyone.
Most artists choose multi-tracking. The most important track is the Drum Track (the foundation for all overdubs), so it is imperative that it be flawless. All other instruments are done as a build-up (adding bass, guitars, vocals and percussion) to the recording. Each instrument is given individual attention and detail to ensuring the highest quality recording. If you plan on recording to a click track make sure you all practice playing along with one. With multi-tracking all instruments can be performing whilst concentrating on getting the drums recorded (essentially playing live), after which all other parts can either be kept or re-tracked as required.

6. Determine your budget. Think “quality” not “quantity”. Let the engineer know in advance how much time you’ve allotted for each session. He or she can help keep the pace going to meet that deadline. Remember to budget time for Mixdown and Mastering. A general rule of thumb: Mixing & Mastering of each song takes approximately the same amount of time as the tracking of each song.

7. Pre-session Consultation with the Studio Engineer. Make sure he/she knows and understands your vision before the session starts. Know what you want to sound like. Bring in reference CDs and let the engineer know by example the sound you are looking for.
The RECORDING Session:
Communication is the key to a successful recording session. It will keep everyone comfortable during the recording process. An artist needs to feel comfortable in order to get a good performance. Emotion and feeling make the best song, not necessarily the best technical performance. Working on a part over and over trying to get it technically perfect can sometimes destroy the emotional aspect of the part. Always make the song the highest priority (leave the egos at the door).
If you make a mistake while recording, don’t stop and start over. With multi-tracking, an engineer can punch in (edit) and correct simple mistakes. Sometimes a minor mistake is an example of “perfect imperfection” (actually adding to the performance’s honesty and emotion). If a part has a few minor errors, but great feel, it might be worth keeping. And remember, sometimes less is more! Here are a few suggestions for a successful recording session:
1. Be on time. Late arrivals can disrupt a whole recording session.
2. Introduce all band members to the engineer. Discuss your plans for the session and the desired instrument set-up.
3. At the end of tracking a song, wait for all instruments especially drum cymbals to fully decay before talking or making comment. The engineer will let you know recording has ended. Also, drummers, watch placing your sticks into one hand and making noise – silent endings.
4. Instrumental intros will need a time signature. If you are not recording to a click track usually a guitarist/vocalist will set the tempo and the drummer will join in with measured stick clicks, then guitarist will drop out with drummer still clicking the appropriate tempo. The drummer will provide a 1,2,3,4 verbal count in as the intro begins and continue through the beginning of the song. This sets up the timing for the overdub instrumental intro tracks. Stick clicks can easily be edited out during the mixdown process.
5. The best mixes are achieved by excellent recording. “Fix it in the mix” attitude will make it harder to get the final product right. Remember: A bad track will always stick out in the mix and the only way to fix it is to remove or replay the track. A bad take is not the end of the world, keep a positive attitude and try again. The luxury of recording is the ability to make composite tracks or rewind and re-record.
6. Communicate with your engineer throughout the project. Be flexible to accommodate the occasional changes that occur while recording your project. Your engineer will work with you to keep things running smoothly.
7. Keep your recording levels at a modest level. The recording studio is a controlled environment allowing for instruments to be recorded and mixed for a powerful sound. Tracking volumes should be loud enough to capture pleasing tones, but not so loud that microphone bleed over or room compression become an issue.
8. Bring to the session only those people who are directly related to the recording process (band members, producers and engineers). A crowded session will cause distractions and in the long run cost you money is wasted studio time.

Important: While in session, try not to carry on with conversations in the control room. This will distract the engineer who is working hard to concentrate on your music. The studio lounge is a great place to let loose.

9. Singers: Always drink room temperature water and don’t use ice! Ice will constrict your vocal chords. Hot tea with lemon work very well for vocal tracking. Make sure to provide emotion & feeling and let the engineer worry about the technical rendition.

10. Check your tuning often. There is no excuse for out of tune parts. You may bring your own tuners with fresh batteries or utilize the studio tuners.
Getting The Vibe RightHaving a great vibe in a recording session is extremely important for laying down good takes. If the vibe of a sessions sucks, then the tracks will have a FEEL that sucks. It can be hard to keep up a cheery and energetic vibe after the 12th hour of a session, but there are ways around this!
Vibe can be brought down, or amped up in a number of ways.
Getting a good night’s sleep before a session is a must. No one will really feel in the zone at 11am while they are layingdown a drum track, after they’ve come in with a hangover and only 4 hours sleep. As a musician that has paid for the time in the studio, why would you waste your money and time going in to lay down music that just doesn’t cut it because the players
were all hungover/tired!

jomar
http://musicproducersforum.wordpress.com
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